Saved Elemental (Evelyn Storm Series Book 2)

by Tamara White

  We all jump into the car with Ky taking the wheel. Never have I been more glad for his car obsession. Only he could drive fast enough to get us there in five minutes instead of 30.

  Evie

  Why’s it so bright? I can barely open my eyes without being blinded with bright golden light.

  “Don’t worry you’ll adjust in a minute.”

  I jerk up and try to look around for the owner of the voice. “Who are you, and why the hell is it so bright?” My eyes are clearing a little, but it’s still hard to see without squinting.

  “I’m so sorry, where are my manners? I’m Raphael, your grandfather. It’s bright here because you’re not used to seeing your inner light in its purest form. When you look inside yourself, you’re seeing a duller version of what your light is capable of. This, however, is the purest form of your inner light. Even mine isn’t this bright,” he says simply as if this should be easy to understand.

  What? How is that possible? Isn’t my grandfather an angel? How on earth could my inner light be stronger than his?

  “Ok, that doesn’t make much sense. How am I surrounded by my inner light when it’s inside of me, and how is it possible for my inner light to be brighter than yours? Aren’t you an angel?” I ask.

  Standing up, I feel stiff and sore and realize why when I look down at myself. My body is covered in cuts, and while they no longer bleed freely they all sting with pain. The stab wound in my shoulder, however, is throbbing like crazy, and I can just tell it’s going to scar really bad.

  My eyes finally begin to adjust to the light and I gasp, seeing the man in front of me. He’s just like the man I saw in the vision my mother showed me of when my powers were being bound. Hair slightly darker than my own, but his eyes are definitely a dead giveaway that he’s my grandfather. It must be a trait passed down from the angels?

  “Your inner light isn’t on the outside, we’re inside your inner light. Your body is trying to heal, but you don’t know how, and that’s why I’ve been sent to you. I’m sorry to tell you this, Evie, but you’re dying,” my grandfather says with sympathy.

  Whoa, hang on a minute. Dying?! “What do you mean I’m dying? I thought I just fainted?”

  “No, Evie, you didn’t faint, you passed out from the blood loss, and now you’re dying. I’m here to tell you how to heal yourself. I can’t heal you myself because I’m forbidden to interfere directly, but I can show you how to control your own ability. But for you to tap into your ability, you need to think about your babies.”

  How the hell does everyone else know before I do? Is there some kind of memo going around I don’t know about?!

  “How do you know that?” I ask, eyeing him with suspicion.

  “I know, because you need to. Your mother would have told you earlier how the Creator works. He allows me access to information, and allows me to pass on certain information that will help guide you, but not enough that will alter your core purpose in this world. The Creator gave Destiny permission to show me what will happen to you. Unlike the elemental visions, Destiny’s rarely change. They can alter slightly, but never change completely,” he says seriously.

  Processing what my grandfather has said, I take a look around my inner light, and I understand why it feels so familiar. If I didn’t know where I was, I would have assumed I was in my field back home, but this meadow is so much better. All the flowers look alive, and they sway softly as if a breeze is blowing.

  My grandfather is not what I expect, though. Knowing he’s an angel, I was kind of expecting the typical wings and otherworldliness that goes with it, but he’s just a human that glows a little. I expected him to be a little older than the vision I saw, but I guess angels don’t age like we do. Huh, I never asked how elementals age. I need to ask one of the guys when I can. Focusing back on the topic of healing myself I face my grandfather.

  “Ok, so why would you need to tell me to focus on my babies to heal myself?” I wonder if this is going to be like my mother’s visit. Some things he can answer, other things he can’t?

  He sighs before looking at me sadly, “You need to think about the babies because you need a reason to fight. You’re weak, and you’ve been protecting your bonded from all your pain. You shut down the link between them. It wasn’t the chains or drugs stopping you from contacting them, it was you all along. When you woke up here, you buried the bond so deep in your light that it was impossible for anyone but you to find. Since you’ve buried it, you’ve made yourself weaker and kept your children weak. They need the energy of the bond to survive just as much as you do.”

  No way! How could I do that?! I wouldn’t cut myself off from my bonded! And if that’s true, why did it take so much effort to reconnect the bond the other day?

  “You’re wrong. I could never cut myself off from them. I don’t even know how to. Plus, I could reach Dane the other day, even if it took a lot of effort. How could I do that if I buried the bond?” I ask him, sure that he must be mistaken.

  Pacing back and forth in front of me, I feel his frustration at my question.

  “Evie, you did it subconsciously. I didn’t mean to imply you did it on purpose but your mind’s way of protecting them was to bury the bonds. You may have reached Dane, but really think about how quickly you contacted the bond. You focused on how much you cared for them which made you feel safe, but the moment you no longer felt safe, it would have buried again. Now, we’re running out of time, and I need to tell you something extremely important before you decide if you want to heal yourself or not.

  Demons are alive in your world. Your bonded’s parents are possessed by them, and you’re the only one that can send them back to the underworld. When you go back, your light will be wide open to you, and you will be able to feel the demon possessing Richard. It’s influencing the others, but you may not feel it as strongly in them. You’ll know what to do when the time comes and your instincts will guide you. I’m sorry I can’t tell you much more than that, but I hope it helps.

  You will also need to heal your potential bonded when you wake up. The demon possessing Richard is trying to corrupt him. I’ve talked to your bonded, and he has more information for you, but he’ll fill you in later. We’ve run out of time. Do you want to heal yourself and your babies?”

  How badly is Zach hurt? Can I save him? What will happen if I can’t stop the demon from infecting him?

  My grandfather is staring at me waiting for my answer, but I don’t understand how he doesn’t already know the answer.

  “Of course, I want to heal us! What idiot wouldn’t choose to heal themselves?”

  He smiles and relief pours off him. Honestly, why wouldn’t I choose to save us?

  “You would be surprised at the amount of people that have been through something similar and chose not save themselves. They believed they had nothing left for them, so they chose the easy way out.

  To heal yourself, you will need your babies’ help. I want you to think about your babies. Focus on what you feel and pull them to you. They’re in your light with you, but they are separate from your own. Their light will resemble orbs of light in here floating around. Each orb will shine with the colour of the aura of their father.”

  He made it seem like there are two different coloured orbs. Does that mean two different fathers?

  I do what he asks and pull them to me. It feels strange, as if had two pieces of me missing, and I’ve finally found them. I feel overwhelming joy when I see them get closer. Two bright gold orbs, one tinged with blue, and the other tinged with red, both dancing around each other. It looks like they’re playing, which causes me to smile in relief. Hopefully, it means they’re ok. I use my light to call them to me and they zoom straight at me and into my stomach.

  I turn and face my grandfather, sure he can see the awe on my face. That felt amazing like I’m finally whole. I don’t know how I ever managed living without this feeling.

  “You did it!” he shouts, swooping me into a hug.

  He let
s go of me and I gasp when I look down at my body. I’m no longer in pain. I’m completely healed with no cuts or bruises, and I have a slight bump where the orbs joined with me. Ok, that’s a little sudden. Should I even be showing yet?

  “As much as I want to watch you to bask in the feeling of your success, we only have a minute before you’ll wake up. As soon as you do, focus on your babies and your bonds, then they will come rushing to the surface and you’ll figure out what to do next. I can’t interfere today, but there’s something I want you to tell the demons before you banish them back where they belong. Tell them you’re the Demon slayer’s granddaughter,” he says with a grin.

  He leans down kissing me on the forehead, and a flare of light inside me loads my brain with information I never knew.

  “Wait! I saw the colours in the baby’s light, but how does that tell me their fathers? And how the hell is it possible I have a bump so soon? Even I know I shouldn’t be showing for a while yet, even if there are two babies,” I ask hoping for more answers.

  He smiles down at me and brushes his hand against my little bump, “When your bonds come back, you’ll see their auras and you’ll know. As for your bump showing it’s because your pregnancy is different. You won’t be pregnant for any longer than 6 months, if my calculations are right, but we’ll discuss it more when I see you. It’s time for you to go and face your new family,” he grins at me before disappearing in a blast of white light.

  Great, how do I get back?

  Chapter 7

  Teddy

  Arriving at the mansion, we all bolt from the car. Max isn’t even worried about creating a diversion since they know we’re coming.

  When Dane told us Zach had been found out, we all rushed here as if our life depended on it, and, in a sense, it does. If he was found out then they may punish Evie for it, and Evie is everything to us.

  It’s strangely quiet inside the foyer and, looking around, I know it’s got to be a trap.

  I project to Dane, It’s a trap. There’s too many places to hide and no guards. What do we do know?

  “I have an idea,” Max smirks before stepping out into the middle of the foyer. “I don’t know what you’ve been told, but if you can hear me, I’d suggest you listen well. Your council has been possessed by demons, and now they’ve taken my daughter. Either you walk away and I won’t have to hurt you, or you come out here and take what I’ve got.”

  He turns in a circle waiting for someone to attack him. At least since he hasn’t used his power creating a diversion, he might be able to help us draw them out. When no one comes out he calls lightning just outside the house, causing it to resonate throughout the house.

  We hear screams of fear before a few guards run down the back hall and through the back door where the elementals on our side are waiting. At least we’ll catch the ones who believe in the council, and, hopefully, show them the truth.

  After the power show, there are three guards left standing at the entrance to the basement.

  We’ve all had enough of waiting, especially knowing Evie’s in trouble. Ky launches a fireball straight at the guy in the middle, and they go on the offensive throwing back their powers. Two fire and a water elemental against the five of us should be easy, but they’re powerful. More than should be possible.

  How have we never met these elementals? They are the same power level as us but that’s not possible without us having met them. All the powerful elementals are required to report to the council for training.

  Dane and I are fighting against a Fire elemental while Max, Ky, and Mike are facing off against the remaining Fire and Water. Mike summons a gust of wind throwing them all back against the wall surrounding the door to the basement.

  They get back up again, but I can see they’ve run out of steam, and I finally feel we might have a chance to get rid of them when we feel more coming. Another four come in the front door and head straight for us.

  Max turns and strikes at them with lightning. He misses, hitting just in front of them, but they fall back hesitant to face against something they’ve never seen. “I don’t have much power left.”

  Crap, we keep forgetting he doesn’t have as much storage capacity as we do. Something to do with being fallen, apparently not being connected to the Creator limits their power.

  Ky and Mike have combined their powers to form a tornado filled with fire, but the guards are determined to stick near the door.

  Dane and I are trying to help when we hear Evie scream. It’s an agonizing scream of pain, and Dane snaps, letting loose a scream of his own. His is a scream of rage so primal that it sends goose bumps up my arms.

  Lightning sparks shoot from his chest, firing off in all different directions, hitting all the guards, and acting like a Taser, causing them all drop to the floor, writhing in agony.

  None of us stop to question what the hell just happened, but we all race for the basement ready to save Evie and destroy any who have harmed her. Possessed or not.

  Evie

  Opening my eyes, I smile wide. I’m healed and glowing. I look up in time to see my father and the guys at the bottom of the stairs looking shocked.

  Charles and Marcia are looking at me in fear, while holding the knives they were using on me, while the other men all look wary. I don’t blame them. I passed out with cuts and bruises all over me and now I look better than I did before I was kidnapped. My bra and underwear may still be gross from weeks of being here, but, hey, a girl can’t get everything she wants.

  My grandfather was right, I feel the evil in the room. It feels like something dirty trying to stick to my skin and take over my light. It’s like what I felt when Richard tried to touch me, but 10 times worse.

  Pulling myself to my feet, I notice the chains are no longer on my wrists, they’ve dissolved into a puddle on the floor. Cool. I try not to smile at my new superpower, but I don’t think I keep it hidden because everyone is either looking at me as if I’ve lost it, or watching me in fear.

  I turn and look straight at my guys “No one leaves until I’m done.” They all nod, and my father smiles at me. I see the admiration in his eyes.

  Turning to face Marcia and Charles, I watch them take a step away from me with fear in their eyes, and try not to revel in their fear. A much as I hate to admit it, I’m enjoying the way they fear me after everything they’ve done me. It almost takes over me until I realize this is probably how they felt hurting me.

  I want to get this over with so I close my eyes and let my instincts guide me. Throwing out my light I let it explore their souls, they’re not possessed, but I feel hardly any of the demon’s influence in them. I’m hurt to know that the influence wasn’t strong enough to account for what they did to me. Their souls are darker than any persons should be. They were already evil before the demons got to them. Pushing the darkness of the demons out of their mind, I watch as they both pass out.

  Richard and the other three try to run, but don’t get far. I envision a circle of my light around them which keeps them contained. How I know it works is beyond me. I just thought of them running and the solution popped into my head. Maybe that’s part of the information I got from my grandfather?

  The guard that had been holding Zach, is being restrained by Ky. Zach’s still unconscious on the floor, but I can feel the demon trying to infect him.

  Feeling the guard with my light and finding him clean of demon influence I tell the guys, “He’s not influenced, but I can’t tell if he knew what they were up to, or if he believes I’m the bad guy.”

  The guard looks at me confused, so I explain. “I don’t work for the Shaded. Neither does Zach, Dane, Mike, Teddy, or Ky. They’re my bonded, and they’re here to save me from their parents and my adoptive parents.” I gesture to our parents. “The council is possessed by demons which have taken over the Shaded.”

  He looks between me and the council, then at Zach on the floor. Sinking to his knees, he looks up at me “I’m sorry. Zach tried to tell me, but they said
you brainwashed him. I didn’t know,” he says looking at Ky. I guess While Ky’s dad is possessed, he’s the new guy in charge.

  “It’s ok, Jimmy, we’ll talk after we sort all this out,” Ky says, while Jimmy nods his head in understanding.

  I’ll have to talk to them later. It’s not fair to punish those who were just doing what they thought was right. Watching Ky take charge of the room and my other guys being just as commanding, makes me want to run into their arms and let them make everything better, but I have to be the one to fix this. I know deep down inside it’s my destiny.

  Placing my hand over Zach’s heart, I send my light searching into his soul to seek out the darkness trying to invade him. When I find the demon energy, I use my light to push it out of him. Once it’s gone, I hear him having trouble breathing, so I heal his injuries and broken ribs.

  When I pull back, I’m glowing a little more and have a purple tint shading the glow. Cool, my aura is purple. Zach’s aura is a beautiful turquoise colour, but has streaks of white in it. I’ll have to ask Raphael about it.

  I look up and gasp. All of them have auras. Teddy’s aura is pale green like a newly formed leaf, Mike’s is white like a bright light, Ky’s is a deep red just like a flame, and Dane’s is pale blue like my eyes. I know who the fathers of my babies are.

  My father’s watching me with a huge smile on his face, but there’s a darkness inside him. I wonder if he’s being influenced? Letting my light roam throughout him I find no demon influence, but I find a well of darkness I’m not sure how to explain. My father must feel me searching him and watches me impassively. I’ll ask him about the darkness later.

  His aura is dull too. It’s a pale gold, but, unlike when gold shines, this gold is dead with despair. If I didn’t know what a gold aura looked like, I would say it was more a mix between yellow and orange.

  Maybe because he’s fallen? I’ll puzzle over it later. I need to fix the council if we have any chance of finding out what the demons want.